1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an adapter for a magnetic disc cartridge which enables a small size magnetic disc cartridge containing therein a small size magnetic disc medium to be driven by a magnetic disc drive system for a larger size magnetic disc cartridge containing therein a larger size magnetic disc medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known a magnetic disc medium, a so-called floppy disc, which comprises magnetic layers formed on opposite sides of a flexible disc base of a polyester sheet or the like. Information is recorded on the floppy disc by a magnetic head while rotating the floppy disc. The floppy disc is generally contained in a thin casing and is used in the form of a magnetic disc cartridge. Such magnetic disc cartridges have been mainly used as recording media for computers because they are easy to handle and can be produced at low cost.
In the magnetic disc cartridge, the casing is provided with a magnetic head insertion window for giving a magnetic head access to the magnetic disc therein on one or each side of the magnetic disc and the window is normally closed by a shutter member so that foreign matters such as dust cannot enter the casing.
Such a magnetic disc cartridge can also be suitably used for recording image information and the like in various miniaturized systems such as a digital camera without limiting to computers and when a magnetic disc cartridge is used in a miniaturized system, it is preferred that the magnetic disc cartridge be smaller in size. The advent of a smaller size magnetic disc cartridge will allow the miniaturized system to be more miniaturized and promote popularization of the systems.
Recently the storage capacity of the regular size magnetic disc cartridge has been increased by change in the recording system, improvement of the magnetic layer and the like. By applying the technique of increasing the storage capacity of the magnetic disc cartridge, the size of a magnetic disc cartridge having a storage capacity equivalent to that of the regular size magnetic disc cartridge can be smaller. However the smaller size magnetic disc cartridge cannot be driven by a magnetic disc drive system for the regular size magnetic disc cartridge.
When image information or the like which has been recorded on a smaller size magnetic disc cartridge by, for instance, a digital camera is to be processed by a computer, the digital camera must be connected to the computer by way of cables to transfer the image information recorded on the smaller size magnetic disc cartridge to the computer. However such information transfer operation is troublesome.